beale



Aug. 14, 1923. 1,464,594

J. M. BEALE LIFE GUARD FOR VEHICLES Filed March 16. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 14, 1923.

J. M. BEALE LIFE GUARD FOR VEHICLES Filed March 16. 1922.

2 Sheet s-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 14, 1923.

UNITED STATES JAMES M. BELLE, O3 PEEKSKILL, NEW YORK.

LIFE GUARD FOR VEHICLES.

Application filed um]. 13, 1922. Serial No. 544,355.

. To all whom it my camera:

Be it known that I, James M. BEALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peekskill in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented new and ,useful Improvements in Life Guards for its object,

rticularl to autoother vehicles in motion.

The princi al feature of this invention is the fam of a guard with rubber or other elastic su tance, preferably rubber tubing, with the object of producing a surface that shall be as diiferent from a metallic bar in striking, as a boxing glove differs from a bare fist. After first providin the rubber contacting surface there are 0t er features of the invention that will add to the advanta es of the soft, first contact, since the real ob ect of the invention is to afford some protection to the edestrian, it appearing that ards as app led to the fronts of auto mobi es are all for the protection of the vehicles, and the construction of said fronts in make of them complete traps for unfortunates who get in contact with them.

The objects of the invention are attained by the means set forth in this specification and the accompanying drawings.

ill

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a plan of the forward end of an automobile with this invention attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a principal feature of the invention. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the reverse side of Fi 2. Fig. 4 is an elevation of a rubber tube or use as a part of the lifeguard. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a form of the life-guard modified from that in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an elevation, partlyizin section of the tube shown in Fig. 4. igs. 7 and 8 are transverse sections of tubes as in Fig. 6, upon an enlarged scale. Sheet 2 Fig. 9, indicates whathappens to this life-guard when it meets an obstruction. Fi 10 is a side elevation of the life-guard. ig. 11 is a section of an end of the life-guard in elevation, explanatory of its attachment to its supporting brackets. Fig. 12 is a longitunal section of a secondary shock absorber as a part of the combination. i 13 is a detail upon an enlarged scale re ating to means for holding fast the tubes on the guard bar. Figs. 14 and 15 are details upon an enlarged scale, relating to the swivel brackets to which the life-guard is attached. The first aim is to attain a high efiiciency of elasticity in this life-guard. The sim lest form for using rubber facing is to app y it to any guard bar as in Fig. 1. To add to the cushioning efl'ect of the rubber it is herein shown as applied to a resilient bar 6, having backwardly extended arms I) 6'. These arms are attached to'brackets e f that are secured to the chassis beams 1 1. The arms are secured to the brackets by the bolts 1 l. at u u, Figs. 1 2 and 3, are shown projections n on said arms that butt against the ends a of the brackets, to prevent the bar from sliding bodilfy laterally. When force is applied to the li e-guard in front, causin the bar to bend inwardly, the arms I) b wi 1 be forced to spread outwardly on their bearings, as'indicated at 2, Fig. 9. The reverse sides of the said arms are presented in Fi 3, in which are shown slots m m throu fin which the bolts t pass, the heads of the be being large faces of the ts and hugging close to the surarms, tightly enough to prevent rattling, yet permitting the arms to he slidable under them. Fig. 11 represents a sectlon of a bar, showing that the construction exhibited herein admits the stem i of the bumper to pass through the slot m.

The bar 5 b b can be so thin and yielding that it will give to a comparatively mild blow, and will assume the position shown in Fig. 9-its angularit would be flattened, the bar arms b b woul be bent backwards, the bar 6 would contact that this life-guard as thus far described, affords an elastic rubber cushion backed b a yieldin support, the cumulative resiliency of t e two bodies tending in a large measure to soften a blow to a person.

Preferably, though not necessarily the guard-bar is 'ven an angular form with the a ex extend beyond the center of the front 0 the vehicle, as in Fig. 1. The amount of the angularity to be a matter of judgment in the construction and its particular application, since such a form will tend more to throw a body away from in front of a vehicle lessening the liability of a body bein knocked down and run over. The height 0 the application of the life-guard, as in Fig.

10, to be about the height of the front axle of the vehicle, should have regard to avoiding its being a hindrance to going over uneven places, yet preferably low enough to strike adults below the knees, so there would be a tendency to trip them and cause them to fall over the life-guard upon the netting A, Fig. i, rather than to be thrown down upon a pavement or hard road-bed.

' Any guard on the front of an automobile is desired to be and needs to be some pro teotion to the vehicle, which is liable in parking and in man ways to bump against other vehicles and o structions. Therefore. this life-guard has a reinforcement next the vehicle, in the form of bumpers j, j. Figs. 1 9 10 and 12. To the brackets e f cylinders g, Figs. 1 9 ll 14 and 15 are attached, or they may be integral with the brackets or separate from the brackets. The bumper j. Fig. 12, is secured to a stem that extends through the heads of the cylinder. Inside the cyliir dot is a collar t fast on the stem, and a stout spring a 0n the stem within the cylinder pressing against the collar keeps the bumper extended as shown. This combination, which comes into play when the bar I) makes forcibl conta t with and presses against the bumpers. become a shock absorber. only limited in its power of reels uni-i.- by the (one bincd resiliency of the rubber. the bar i) 1, ii and thr spring-s a. some addii i niil cushioning can ivobtained by attaching rubber blocks on the bumpers. the shaded purl j. Fig. 1! repr s nting ll rubber facing.

in the application of rubber tu ing to the guard bar, Fig 2 illustrates a plain soft rubher tube. of a omnlrr ial variety, attached to this or any guard bar. 'llv [lining of clamps 3i. l i i Ii 9 and i the ends ll. of the tubing can t secured as shown in the arms 5* 7i, and a hilllllltflll means of sup port to keep tin;- tube in place on the front of the part of the ar. are lips Figs. 1 2 9 10. are made integral with the bar. to enreiop in in 15b of "h gn-riplu-i'y of the tillw to h :1 in fiiiit'l. (11'. the lips can be ()l'iililiik'ii i attaching clips, .19. I", Fig. l-i, to the guard bar. The tubes may be. applied singly, or there may be two or more. as in Figs. 2 5 i'l and ll. according to the width of the bat: and the more tubing there is of course the better the. cushioning.

Preferably, however, a tube would be made expressly for and adapted to the purpose, as in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. Figs. 4 and 5 represent tubes in plan and Fig. (i represents part of a tube in elevation and transverse section. In making the tube it would be given, preferablyv a flat base, as at 3, Figs. 6 7 and 8. The was of the tubes would he closed, and butts, es 1, Fig. ti, would have their heads enilicdded in the materia of the tubc--tlze bolts for securing the tubes to the guard bars. fit. 5, Fig. 5, is shown an air valve for application to tubes made to be inflated, that is, life-guard pnsumatic tubes. In Fig. 5 an endless tube is represented as doubled on a divided bar. In Fig. 7 is given in transverse section ,the prgferable form for tubes made for this' purpo e, whether of lengths to be cut oft or of the pneumatic kinds. In Fig. 8 an inflatable tube partly fibrous is shown, the line 6 representing canms or other fibre embedded in the base and partly in the sides of the tube, the top 7' of the tube to be of soft rubber. Figs. 7 and 8 are upon an enlar ed scale. The safety netting A is attache to the chassis framing.

Means are provided for swinging the lifeguard to a vertical position when, for any reason the vehicle is limited for space lengthwise, as in close parking, and in garages that. have little more than space for the vehicle. The means consist of making the brackets e f in two parts and uniting the two by means of a swivel joint, as at d d, Figs. 1 14 and 15, the latter two figures representing the brackets upon an enlarged scale. The combined parts 0 9 swing upon a pivot e that joins it to the part f. Figs. 1 and 14 represent the brackets in normal position, and Fig. 15 re-resents the position of the parts i and r; w ien elevated.

Pints enter ng into this invention will necessarily have to und rgo more or less departure from the acluai forms and applications 1in they are exhibited herein. which is iossihlc without ail'ecting the principles of my invention.

Having described my invention. what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

l. The combination in a life-guard for vehicles. of a spring bar. turned back ends of the said bar, the said ends slotted, brackets secured to the vehicle and the said bar ends slidably secured to the brackets, cylinders combined with said brackets, bumpers and stems on the bumpers extended through the cylinders, collars on the stems, springs around the stems impinging against the collars and velastic tubes on the bar, clamps on. the turned back ends of the bar to secure the turned back ends of the said tubes, and means at the middle of the bar to support the tubes.

2. in combination in a life-guard, the frame of a vehicle, brackets secured to the frame. a cylinder combined with the brackets. stews through the cylinders, "collars on the stems, springs within the cylinders impinging against the collars, bumpers on the stems and a spring bar with backwardly turned arms, the arms slotted and slidably secured to the said brackets.

3.111 combination, in a life-guard for rehicles, the frame of the vehicle, brackets secured to the frame, a swivel joint in the brackets, a spring bar, turned back ends of the bar, the said ends slotted and slidably secured-t0 the brackets, bumpers back of the spring bar, a spring cushion for the bumpers, means on the brackets for supporting the bumpers and springs, and an elastic body on the face of the spring bar.

4. The combination inalife-guard for vehicles of the vehicle frame. swiveled brackets secured to the frame, a guard bar, turned back ends of the guard bar. said ends slotted and slidably secured to the said brackets. and pneumatic tubes attached to the face of the guard bar.

5. The combination in a life-guard comprising brackets secured to the frame of the vehicle and a spring bar attached to the brackets as described. of bumpers to be acted upon by the said bar. spring cushions for the bumpers. and means on the brackets for supporting the bumpers and the said cushions.

6. The combination in a life-guard for vehicles, of the frame of the vehicle. brackets secured to the frame..a spring bar, backward turns of the ends of the bar. the said ends slotted and secured to the brackets and longitudinally slidable on the brackets.

7. The combination in a life-guard for vehicles, of the frame f the vehicle, brackets secured to the frame, and a spring bar. the ends of the bar turned backwards. the ends slotted and slidably secured to the brackets, the ends longitudinally slidable on the brackets, and an elastic body on the face of the bar.

8. The combination in a life-guard for vehicles, of the frame of the vehicle, brackets secured to the frame, and a spring bar, backward turns of the ends of the bar. the

ends slotted and slidably secured to the brackets, and limiting stops on the ends adjacent to the slots for lodgement against the brackets, the ends longitudinally slidable on the brackets.

9. In a life guard for vehicles the combination of the frame of the vehicle, brackets secured to the frame, a spring bar across the end of the vehicle, the ends of the spring bar turned backwards, the said ends slotted and slidably secured t the said brackets, an elastic member on the face of the bar, and means for securing the elastic member to the bar.

10. In a life guard for vehicles, the vehicle frame, brackets secured to said frame, a spring bar secured to the brackets, and a gpeumatic tube on the face ofthe spring r, the tube comprising a flat base, perpendicular sides and a semi-circular top, the base made partly of fabric, the sidesembodying fabric part way from the base blending into the elastic top, and means for securing the tube to the spring bar.

11. The combination in a life saving uard for vehicles, of a pneumatic tube, an e astic spring bar across the end of the vehicle, the said tube secured to the said spring bar, the ends of the spring bar bent backwards and inwardly, the said ends slidably secured to brackets, the brackets secured to the frame of the vehicle, and remforcing bumpers attached to the said brackets to receive the backward thrusts of the spring bar.

Signed at Peekskill, in the county of W'estchester and State of New York, March JAMES M. BEALE. 

